Kathy DeOrnellas

The Sacred Circle: Using Mandalas in Counselor Supervision

ABSTRACT In the supervisory relationship, the use of expressive arts activities has proven to be beneficial to students. Using art materials, students often discover new ways of understanding complex cases and grow personally. Through the art activities, unconscious material is made conscious and then that material is open to processing with the supervisor. This article will describe the use of mandalas in counselor supervision.

Teachers’ Perceptions of Bullying: A Focus Group Approach

The current qualitative study used a focus group approach to examine teachers’ perceptions of student aggressors and victims. Participants in the current study included 35 teachers from public elementary, middle, and high schools. Teachers’ responses to five questions about risk factors for aggression and victimization, adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies, and advice for victimized youth were analyzed using thematic analysis. Teachers frequently identified family factors as a risk factor for becoming an aggressor. Appearance-based factors, shyness, and emotional reactivity were commonly mentioned as risk factors for victimization. Teachers believed that strong displays of emotions, physical retaliation, and ignoring the situation were ineffective means for victims to respond to peer aggression. Reporting the aggression to an adult, appropriately standing up for oneself, and seeking support from friends were viewed as more effective strategies for responding to peer victimization. Directions for future research and implications for intervention are discussed.

Teachers’ Perspectives on Bullying

In this chapter, DeOrnellas and Spurgin describe bullying from the viewpoint of the teacher, noting that teachers vary significantly in how they perceive bullying with some holding complacent attitudes and others taking a proactive stance against bullying. DeOrnellas and Spurgin describe how teachers’ understanding of bullying varies based on level of training, experience, and beliefs regarding bullies and that this, in turn, influences if and how they will intervene. The chapter concludes with focus on effective interventions that teachers can use to handle bullying in their classrooms.

The moderation of pessimistic judgments associated with high and low dietary Restraint

This study investigated the moderation of pessimistic judgments associated with high and low levels of dietary restraint using the Consider-An-Alternative debiasing procedure. Caucasian female participants were randomly assigned to either a control or debiasing group in a mixed factorial repeated measure designed experiment. The participants read and made probability ratings as to the likelihood of future negative eating-related events. The results showed that the debiasing procedure was effective in the reduction of pessimistic judgmental predictions for low restraint participants only. The results were discussed in terms of the debiasing technique and how it may serve to reduce pessimistic judgments. Finally, a potential for application in psychotherapy and cognitive models of psychopathology was emphasized.

An Overview of School Bullying

In this chapter, Rosen, Scott, and DeOrnellas define bullying, identify different subtypes of peer aggression, and discuss prevalence rates with attention to gender and grade level. Both being bullied and bullying others are associated with negative physical health, mental health, and school outcomes, and the literature outlining these associations is presented. The majority of bullying incidents occur in the school setting, and thus school staff plays a critical role in the identification, prevention, and intervention of bullying behaviors. This chapter introduces the overarching theme of how multiple perspectives of key school staff (i.e., teachers, principals, school resource officers, school psychologists/counselors, nurses, and coaches) can provide a more complete understanding of this phenomenon, which can in turn lead to the development of more effective prevention and intervention programs.

School Psychologists and School Counselors’ Perspectives on Bullying

In this chapter, DeOrnellas and Palomares outline the roles of school psychologists and school counselors. Despite differences in the responsibilities of school psychologists and school counselors, their training as mental health professionals often puts them at the forefront when bullying becomes a problem in the schools they serve. DeOrnellas and Palomares describe how both professionals may work individually with students who have been bullied or who are bullies as well as how they often take a broader role by developing or implementing school- or district-wide programs to prevent bullying by instituting a “culture of respect” for all students. This chapter concludes with a discussion of the roles of school psychologists and school counselors in planning and implementing evidence-based bully prevention programs.

Drawing Across Perspectives: Implications for Prevention and Intervention

In the final chapter, Rosen, DeOrnellas, and Scott integrate the different perspectives of key school staff and provide common themes. They note that in addition to students and key school staff members already considered in the text, anti-bullying campaigns can benefit from an even wider range of contributors including education support professionals, parents, and community members. Based on the recommendations provided in each of the chapters, they discuss possible school-wide bullying prevention and intervention efforts and outline characteristics of successful programs. This chapter concludes by offering suggestions for overcoming potential challenges and implementing a whole-school anti-bullying initiative.

Developing Effective Transition Reports for Secondary Students: A Nationwide Survey of College and University Disability Support Personnel

ABSTRACT This exploratory study analyzes the perceptions of Disability Support Services (DSS) personnel regarding the transition process and documentation requirements to receive services for students with invisible disabilities in postsecondary settings. Invisible disabilities include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, and traumatic brain injury. DSS personnel from 408 postsecondary institutions across the United States completed the researcher-generated survey online. Results indicated a lack of consistent collaboration with secondary institutions and use of transition plans to determine eligibility for disability services. Participants reported a lackluster view of their usefulness, and analyses of their free responses revealed specific themes for what DSS personnel reported would make transition reports more useful. Results regarding currency requirements, qualified conductors of, responsible parties for, and location of assessments are presented. Applications of the findings of this research are discussed for the preparation of effective transition reports and transition goals.

Book Review: Autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents: Evidence-based assessment and intervention in schools

This edited edition by Lee A. Wilkinson is, as its title states, a review of evidence-based assessment and interventions for autism within a school setting. It is written primarily for school psychologists, but others who work in the schools (i.e., school counselors, special education teachers, and graduate students in school or educational psychology) should find it useful. The book provides an up-to-date guide to best practices in screening, assessment, and intervention with students on the autism spectrum within the context of the public schools. The goals of the book are to cover two broad areas of knowledge regarding students with autism. First, the authors attempt to cover the process of screening for autism and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of students with autism using evidence-based assessment tools. The second goal is to provide readers with information on the use of appropriate school-based interventions for students with autism.